Shadow's Olympic Secret
by Super Sonic Pizza Delivery
Summary: It's the London Olympic Games, and the whole Sonic team is raring to go for the gold. But why is Shadow hiding the event he's competing in from everyone- including his boyfriend, Sonic? Oneshot. Contains Sonadow and implied sexual content. Don't like, don't read.


**Shadow's Olympic Secret**

**((I was tired of only writing dark things, which is where my main story is heading, so I threw this together. Enjoy, and please review.))**

It seemed like the entire Sonic crew was overcome with Olympic fever by the time they all arrived at London. "Finally!" Shadow could hear Amy saying from a few rows behind him as they exited the plane. "I've been looking forward to showing that Daisy girl who the fastest swimmer is!"

"You're telling me," Tails had said, talking to the pink hedgehog. "Luigi and I already have a pool going for whether Mario or Sonic winds up getting more gold metals at the track events."

"They're both pretty talented athletes, but I'd have to bet on Sonic. That Italian guy looks doesn't exactly look like Olympic material, and Sonic is the fastest thing alive."

"You know, I didn't think so either, but apparently he has a crazy long jump, and his throws are also pretty good."

"Still, I have to say Sonic. Whether he wants to admit it or not, he will be my husband one day, and I have to support him."

Tails shushed her. "Amy, Shadow's only a few rows in front of us. You might not want to announce your intentions for his boyfriend so loudly."

She huffed. "Why is he here, anyway? The rest of us qualified for events. You have your table tennis, I have swimming, and Sonic has practically every other event. But whenever I ask Shadow about it, he just brushes off the question."

"You know how Shadow is. He doesn't talk to much of anyone except for Sonic. And can you blame him for not trusting you?"

"It's awful, but I'm sort of hoping he's just here as a spectator so he can't stay in the Olympic village with the rest of us."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Amy, but he's definitely competing in something. I saw him put the labels on his luggage."

"But what?"

The seatbelt sign blinked off. Shadow took his bag out from the overhead bin and disembarked the plane.

* * *

That night at the Olympic Village, there was a big party for all the athletes. Okay, maybe "big" was an overstatement; it wasn't an official event, but something the girls from both the Mario and Sonic crew put together to ease the tension. It wasn't working very well.

"But how can you possibly defeat me in rifle shooting! I have an IQ of over 300 and years of experience using missiles, and you're just a dinosaur with red hair. Not to mention I have opposable thumbs."

Bowser responded to Eggman's verbal assault with a tuft of flame from his mouth. "Owowowowow, you singed my mustache!" The Doctor yelled, rushing over to the punch bowl to put out the flames while the other villain snickered. Peach, who had obviously spent a lot of time with Bowser, was chastising him in a corner. It would have all been entertaining to watch, if Shadow didn't feel completely insecure.

"Hey Shadow," the black hedgehog heard from over his shoulder. He turned and got a face full of chest fur. "Silver," he grunted in response.

"I just want you to know, I think that you don't have to be so secretive about what you're here for."

"Shut up, Silver."

"I mean, I'm a gymnast too. Granted, I do the uneven bars, mostly, but I'm not ashamed."

Shadow scowled. "You don't get it. People look at you doing your sport and they say, 'Oh look, he's so strong, spinning himself on the bars like that.' People see me doing mine, and they say, 'Oh, that's gay.'"

"But you are gay."

"That's not the point. The point is, I still have my pride, and even though I'm doing something I love, if anybody ever found out...if Sonic ever found out..." Images flashed through his head of everyone laughing at him, of Sonic being extremely embarassed. "Shadow, why..."

"Snap out of it!" Silver yelled, his markings glowing slightly. Shadow shook and looked at the young hedgehog. "Listen, I just wanted to give you my piece. Ultimately, it's not up to me what you do."

The black hedgehog nodded. "Thank you for your concern. Now-" he said, looking at Vector, who had just gone to the DJ booth, "if you don't mind, I would like to make a request for a dance with my boyfriend."

* * *

That night at the Olympic Village, Shadow was reading a book when he heard a gentle rapping on his door. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered, placing a bookmark in the pages. He stumbled to the door, rubbing his eyes, and opened the door to find Sonic. "Hey, you," he greeted, a weak smile crossing his face.

"So I was talking with Amy at the party tonight," Sonic said, walking into the small room, "and she brought up a great point." The blue hedgehog plopped himself on the bed, a half smile crossing his face. "You haven't told me what you're competing in yet."

Shadow let out a small groan. "This again. I've been hearing it all day. I really don't want to talk about it."

Sonic raised an eye ridge, the look of amusement fading from his face. "I don't get it. We're dating, aren't we? Don't couples normally tell each other stuff like this?"

Shadow sat down on the bed next to him. "I guess they do..."

"How am I supposed to cheer for you if you don't tell me what your event is?" Sonic lightly punched Shadow on the shoulder, and Shadow rubbed it in response.

"Listen; I just... uh..." he tried scrambling for an excuse, "...get performance anxiety. Yeah."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "That seems weird. You've never had a problem racing me at home or fighting off a robot."

"Yeah, I know," Shadow lied through his teeth, "but with a medal on the line, I thought having you there would throw me off, and I really wanted to get a gold."

Sonic sighed. "I guess that makes sense." _Good, he bought it. _"But you have to get a copy of the tape so that I can watch it later!"_ Damn._

"Sure. I'll get a tape." _When hell freezes over, _he added in his head.

"Glad to hear it." Sonic turned to look at the bedside table. "So... the Tales of King Arthur, huh?"

"Yeah," Shadow said, glad they were changing the subject, "and funnily enough, I didn't see any mention of you in there."

Sonic laughed. "Oh come on, Shadow. How can you not believe me? After all," he said, pushing Shadow down on the bed and halfway closing his eyes seductively, "you of all people know how good I am with my... sword."

* * *

The new day brought with it the Opening Ceremonies, and Shadow rose, still sore from the night before. _What time did Sonic go back last night? _he wondered to himself. _I went to sleep right afterwards, so I don't recall._

"Mornin', Shadow!"

The black hedgehog turned towards the too bright voice coming from the room next to us. "Chaos, Vector, do you have to be so loud?"

"I was wondering the same thing about you and Sonic last night. Man, when you guys get it on, you really have to let the whole neighborhood, don't you?"

"I wasn't aware I was that loud."

"Well, you are. Charmy, innocent soul he is, wanted to break into your room and 'stop those two from hurting each other.' You're lucky Espio took him back to his room before he could do anything."

"Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Hey, I get it. Two strapping young men in love, and all."

Shadow blushed. "Yes. Thanks. That's quite enough."

The crocodile let out his famous grin. "Speaking of Charmy and Espio, the three of us are doing the cycling relay later tomorrow. First event after the Open!"

"I'll be sure to go watch."

"You should tell me when your event is so I can come watch."

Shadow flinched. "I'd rather not be watched."

"The Olympics are meant to be watched, Shadow."

"But I-"

A blue blur suddenly knocked the black hedgehog down. "Morning, Shads. Want to head to the opening ceremony together?"

Shadow smiled. Sonic seemed to make everything better when he was feeling down. "That sounds good. I'll see you later, Vector!"

"If I don't hear the two of you first!"

The two hedgehogs walked side by side for a while, holding hands. "What did he mean by that?" Sonic asked.

"I don't think you want to know."

* * *

The Opening Ceremony had been absolutely beautiful. Fourty foot Voldemort, the Queen parachuting out of a helicopter, and James Bond had all left the crowd oohing and awwing. Shadow was just glad that he got to stand with Sonic, and during the procession, he walked shoulder to shoulder with him, their fur intermingling under the glow of the lights. By the time the torch got lit, Shadow was convinced that the evening couldn't be any more magical. If only the entire Olympics could be like this, he caught himself thinking. But no, I came here to get the gold, and that's what I'm going to do.

He and Sonic walked back to the village together after the ceremony ended when they were stopped by Cream. "I'm sorry, you guys," the shy rabbit said, "but I'm supposed to tell you that you need to go directly to your rooms tonight."

The two hedgehogs exchanged a short glance. "He can't even come to visit me for a while?" Sonic asked.

"You're not supposed to. I'd let it slide, but we got a few noise complaints from some members of Team Mario last night, and I really don't want to risk my job here over it." Her eyes welled up with tears. _Damn it, Cream, _Shadow thought, _if you weren't so little and cute, I would pummel you. But how can I say no to a face like that?_

"I guess this is good night, then," Sonic said, pecking Shadow on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ummm, Mister Sonic, Shadow has his event tomorrow. He probably won't see you until late."

Shadow froze. _Keep it up, and I may just pummel you anyway._

"Is that so?" Sonic asked, a cocky grin on his face. "I wasn't aware."

"Yeah. It's at-"

"Cream!" Shadow said, cutting her off, "We're both going to our own beds now, and it's late. Shouldn't you be off to bed too?"

She flinched. "It is really late. I'm sorry for keeping you, Mister Shadow."

"Don't worry about it," the black hedgehog said. "Just get yourself to sleep."

"Good night, Mister Shadow. Good night, Mister Sonic."

"Good night," the two replied in unison. They turned to each other, and Shadow got one last look at his boyfriend's bright emerald eyes. "And good night to you too," he said, giving him a quick kiss before turning and walking towards his bed.

"You won't be able to hide it from me forever!" Sonic yelled.

Shadow ignored the comment, and returned to his room, collapsing on the bed and immediately falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Shadow. Shadow. Yo, Shadow!"

The black hedgehog twitched and moaned. "What do you want, Silver? It's four in the morning."

"Yeah, and you haven't practiced one lick since you've gotten here. We're going to the arena to do a warm up before the event."

"Don't want to."

"Okay, I'll put it this way; go to the arena later, and someone may see you."

Shadow got up in a flash, grabbed his equipment bag, and ran out the door.

"So what do you think of the facility?" Silver asked of the black hedgehog.

"Honestly? It's far nicer than any place I've practiced before."

"How do you manage to practice? I mean, it's obvious you've kept your talent a secret, but you need a lot of room for what you do."

"Mostly, when I clean out one of Eggman's bases, I get a few days before I have to tell anyone where it is. I mostly practice then."

Silver raised an eye ridge. "So pretty irregularly, then? You must be really talented to get into the Olympics with that little practice."

"You underestimate how many bases I clear out."

From the other side of the room, Shadow and Silver could see a girl with blond hair walking with a tiny dinosaur. "That's them," Silver said with a sneer in his voice. "The blonde one is Peach. She's your main competition, and fierce at that. She won this event at the last Olympics, so she's the reigning champion."

"Believe me, I remember," Shadow said with a scowl. _I would've won the damn thing, but I just _had _to break my hand three days before the event._ He still wouldn't let himself off the hook for that. But Beijing had been so long ago. It was time to turn over a new leaf.

"And the green one is my opponent; Yoshi. Supposedly, he can fly on the uneven bars, but I doubt he can beat a user of psychokinesis," Silver said, making the marks on his body flash briefly to illustrate his point.

"Isn't that cheating?"

"Oh, I don't use my powers on the bar. That'd be unethical. But it does get me used to being in the air."

Shadow glanced at the floor to see the two of them approaching the hedgehogs.

"Hello, Shadow," Peach said in her sickly sweet voice.

"Peach," he replied curtly.

"Listen, I know we're opponents, but I do honestly wish you the best of luck today," she said, extending her hand out for a handshake. He glanced at the hand for a moment before meeting it with his own, giving her his solid shake. "You too."

She snickered and pranced away, heading to the locker room to put on her leotard.

"Bitch."

* * *

The time approached quickly, and Shadow grew more nervous by the minute. _Focus, Shadow, focus,_ he willed himself. _There's nobody here. Nobody important. Just pretend you're alone in one of Eggman's bases, again._

A voice came over the loudspeaker, blazing "Next on the floor, Shadow the Hedgehog, on ribbon!"

"Come on, buddy, you can do it," Silver said, patting Shadow on the shoulder.

"I'm not your buddy," he said as a knee jerk reaction, but immediately softened. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now knock 'em dead!"

Shadow stepped on the mat, his ribbon at the ready, and posed, arms crossed, in the corner. _It's your time. _He put on a smile. _The world is mine._

A beeping sound started, signaling the beginning of the routine, followed by the music playing. It was a song called The Blue Danube, a quick Russian melody; not his first choice, but it suited his particular style very well. He began to glide across the floor, interrupting his streak with only the occasional leap or spin. The most important part of Rhythmic Gymnastics was to keep the apparatus constantly in motion, and Shadow executed that goal flawlessly; the ribbon was always spinning, looping, flying through the air. With a flourish, Shadow tossed the ribbon in the air and executed a series of tight spins and flips before catching it again. The crowd clapped as he kept going, doing a series of dance moves that almost looked like break dancing. I_f it weren't for Sonic, I would've never danced like this,_ Shadow realized, letting a smile creep on his face. _Even if he's not here, Sonic's always with me in spirit. I won't let him down._

He lifted his leg to a split balance, spinning the ribbon high in the air. Suddenly, he felt himself shake. _No, no, not now... _He lost his balance, and the crowd gasped as his foot solidly hit the ground. _That's a deduction. I may have just lost a medal,_ Shadow realized, a pit going in his stomach. _Unless... _he brought hit back leg up behind him, pulling himself into another balance. _I've never been able to pull this one off before, but if I can do it, I might be able to save my score._ His foot meeting his quills, Shadow began to spin, praying that he wouldn't fall. _Come on, come on... _he ended the spin with another toss of the ribbon, somersaulting on the mat and catching it with ease. The spectators cheered in surprise. _Yes, I did it!_

_Now to end this like only I could. _Shadow did one more flip before catching the ribbon once again in the corner, and, after a few more choice spins, got low on his knees, flashing the rock signal with both hands and scowling for the judges. The music ended, and the stadium went crazy. _I've done it. It's over, _Shadow thought, panting and smiling.

The black hedgehog stood out of his position and looked into the crowd when he heard a high whistle. Shadow only knew of one person who could make a sound like that... He looked in the box where Olympians watched the other events, and surely enough, there Sonic was, both little fingers stuck in the corners of his mouth, letting out a shrill whistle.

* * *

That night, the two hedgehogs snuck around Cream and into Shadow's room. "So you're a rhythmic gymnast?"

"Yes."

"And you never told anyone."

"Well, Silver. But he's also on the gymnastics team with me."

"And you never thought to tell me?"

"Can you blame me? It's embarassing."

Sonic lifted his hand to Shadow's cheek. "Actually, I thought you looked really graceful out there."

Shadow closed his eyes. "I thought you would be scared to be seen with someone who prances around with a ribbon."

"I'm really not, Shadow. I was proud of you."

The black hedgehog stirred. "Proud?"

"Yeah," Sonic laughed, "I mean, you don't think I have things that I like to do that are a little embarrassing? One of my events is fencing, for crying out loud."

"But you get to use a sword. Nothing's more manly than a sword."

"Have you seen a foil? You could cut more with a butter knife."

Shadow let out a small laugh. "I guess you're right. I'm glad I don't have to hide it anymore."

"And maybe now that I know, I can get you an actual place to train."

"For real?"

"For real. And I can help you out on those balances. They need a lot of work."

"What, are you going to be my coach now?"

"No. Just your concerned boyfriend."

The two paused a moment, sitting on the bed.

"You really aren't embarrassed?"

Sonic answered only with a kiss before lying down in the bed. Shadow sighed. The Olympics were about bringing the world together in camaraderie through the virtues of athletics, and for striving to be the best in what they did for the honor of their team. But that night, as he laid with Sonic, his fingers wrapped around the other's, Shadow didn't care about gold, silver, or bronze. No, only two colors mattered to him; black and blue.


End file.
